ALBAWABA- The death toll from a migrant boat sinking off the coast of Sfax, Tunisia, has reached 11, with 44 people still missing. The migrants on board the ill-fated boat, which sank near Kerkennah Island close to Sfax port, came from sub-Saharan African countries
Tunisian coast guards have recovered 901 bodies of drowned migrants this year, marking a record. Most of the migrants hailed from sub-Saharan African countries.
Sfax has become a major transit point for migrants attempting to reach nearby Italian islands using smugglers' boats. The central Mediterranean is the deadliest migration route globally, with over 20,000 recorded deaths since 2014.
Migrant departures surged in March and April following Tunisian President Kais Saied's speech denouncing the influx.
In early July, hundreds of migrants were expelled from Sfax after clashes with locals.
